My blessings...You said we could write about anything we wanted...

Summer school is almost over. June is almost over. It seems as though my summer is almost over and it hasn't even begun yet! Life moves so quickly lately. It's a bit unsettling to me because I value it so much. Yeah, I know. Of course I value it. Who wouldn't? But honestly, I just feel so blessed in this life that it's difficult to truly wish away a day.

I am blessed to have been accepted into the Mississippi Teacher Corps. While I have my bad days just like the rest of my peers, I am blessed to affect the lives of children in a positive way. I have had so much respect for teachers, at all levels, for the work they do. They don't get paid much, they work long hours, and many of them are shown little respect by their students every day yet they keep coming back for more. I'm proud to be part of their ranks.

I'm blessed with an untamable sense of drive towards my dream of becoming a physician, and I'm blessed with an opportunity to pursue that dream at a medical school near my family in Wisconsin.

I'm blessed with all of my peers, great teachers, great friends and really great people. You can't say that about everyone. They're fantastic human beings and every day seem to amaze me.

I am blessed with a loving family who supports my every whim, including putting off my dreams of going to medical school to move across the country, to Mississippi of all places, and teach at risk students. They have never failed me. Just this past weekend, my mother gave up 24 hours of her day to drive down to Mississippi only to drive back 3 hours later with my fiancé because it was her first time navigating her way across the country. My older brother dropped everything to come and help me move to a new apartment. My family is always there to give me emotional support for those days that I actually do wish away. They are amazing.

My greatest blessing is my fiancé, Andrea. While MTC, my dreams of medical school, my fellow corps members and my family keep me going, Andrea is the reason I'm living in the first place. Not literally of course, but she's the reason I'm in MTC, she's the reason I met all of you, she's the reason I keep chasing my dreams. She's leaving me next year to pursue her own dream to become a writer. Look for her books coming to a bookstore near you! She's going to be great, I just know it. What I don't know is how I'm going to survive next year without her here with me in Mississippi. I've never lived more than a mile away from her since we started dating. It's going to be my greatest challenge yet.

My life is blessed. I love it.